Visiting MA & PhD students

We welcome visitors from other institutions, to learn, study and help enrich our collaborative intellectual community.

Visiting students are often studying for a PhD or an MA at another university, and spend anything from one month to one year or more with us. We also have several formal arrangements that make study at multiple universities possible, including single thesis dual PhDs, and Lancaster University’s study abroad schemes.

Different fee arrangements can be made to give visitors access to office space (PhD students only), MA or Faculty Research Training courses, computing and library facilities, supervision by a member of staff, as well as the opportunity to meet our staff and students and join in with seminars workshops and other events.

Please note that if you wish to attend MA and Faculty Research modules you should time your visit so that it falls during the autumn and the spring terms when the majority of these modules are being taught.

How to apply

If you are interested in visiting us outside of these programmes, we encourage you to discuss this possibility informally with a staff member before submitting an application, as your application will need to be accepted by a staff member prior to your visit.

Visiting PhD students pay a £500 registration fee. For stays of 3 months or less this will be the only fee payable. For visits greater than three months, visiting PhD students will pay 25% of the standard PGR fee for each additional quarter year or part thereof. Students visiting for a full academic year will pay 100% of the standard fee*. Current fee levels are available from the Student Registry. The fees must be paid upon registration with the Postgraduate Office at the start of your visit.

Please note: You must not apply via the University on-line application system.

As a PhD student, you will need to provide the following in support of your application:

A completed application form (available from our postgraduate coordinator)

A current curriculum vitae

Brief research statement and title of research

For non-native English speakers only: documentation of your competence in English. This would usually be a TEOFL or IELTS certificate OR a statement from your host supervisor confirming your English Language skills

In addition to the above, if you require a Tier 4 visa, OR you are visiting for longer than 6 months, you will also need to provide:

For non-native English speakers only: documentation of your competence in English. This would usually be a TEOFL or IELTS certificate

Contact details of two referees who know your academic work. Once you submit your application form we will contact them directly for references to support your application. Please provide their email addresses where possible.